Teddy Bear Story

"Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic."

Her name was Blondie, after her beautiful golden fur. She was no ordinary dime store bear, she was from Germany. She had beautiful glass eyes and a tag in her ear that said "Stieff". So she assumed her name must be Blondie von Stieff. Obviously, she came from a royal background.

Her mate was called Barney. Barney's background was more common. He was not a dime store bear either. He couldn't aspire to be even that. Barney appeared in the playroom one night after the carnival had been in town. Barney didn't have a tag in his ear, so Blondie assumed he had no last name and no royal pedigree. He did have a cloth label low on his back that said "Made in China". She thought that was strange, since he didn't look Chinese. Barney had dark brown fur and amber eyes. Barney said he was a grizzly bear, but Blondie said he was just a grumpy bear. Even if he wasn't a prince, Blondie thought he was quite handsome.

Blondie and Barney had two cubs. Blondie didn't know how she came to have cubs, as most bears don't know. She named her cubs Wally and Martie, after the labels attached to them. Wally had blue fur, and Martie had pink fur. She knew that Barney was their daddy, as they both had the same "Made in China" label he had. They didn't look Chinese either.

Susie and Sally were the twins that shared Blondie's home. They were identical, with long blond hair and blue eyes like their mother. Their mother kept their hair long enough to wear in a ponytail every day, or in braids. They each had a small bed on either side of the room, as they wouldn't stand to be separated. Blondie came to live with them on their second birthday, three years ago. Blondie really couldn't remember back much farther than that, because her head was filled with sawdust, but it seemed she had lived a very long time, and had known many children. She was, in fact, much, much older than Barney.

Blondie and Barney lived on a shelf, along with Wally and Marty, overlooking the room. Blondie kept a lookout for the children, and Barney was there to keep them all safe.

---

Susan and I turned 26 last month. Abby is almost 24. Bruce is 20. Blondie and Barney and the cubs are back on their shelf at Grandma Gail's house. Susan and I agreed that was where they belonged. Susan's little girl, Mary sleeps with Lucy, and my little girl, Margie sleeps with Annie. Sometimes they have a sleepover at Grandma Gail's house, and they have a tea party. Abby's little girl, Frankie, is still too young for sleepovers, but she enjoys having tea parties with her Poo Bear. She sleeps with her own Annie in her crib.

Susan married Ron, I married Steve, Abby married Rick, and Grandma Gail married Grandpa Joe. Bruce is in the Air Force Academy, and is going to be a pilot.

---

I can remember that on Sunday afternoons, my sister Susan and I would have a tea party, and Blondie and her family were always invited. Also invited were Lucy and Annie, our favorite dolls. Susan couldn't sleep without Lucy in her bed, and I slept with Annie. Lucy and Annie were both handsome young ladies, made of cloth and yarn by Grandma Gail when we were babies.

I would set up their little table in the middle of the room, and set out eight little chairs. Susan would set out the place settings with the tea set that Grandma Gail had given us for Christmas last year. She would set out eight cups and eight little plates. She would put the tea pot on the table with the pretend tea. Mommy would give us eight cookies on a small platter, so we could serve our guests.

Some weekends, we would stay with Daddy in the big house with Miss Emily and her daughter Abby. Abby was younger than us, almost four. She had her own bedroom where she kept all of her toys and dolls. She wouldn't let Susan and me come into her room or play with her toys. We shared a room in the house, just as we did at Mommy's apartment. Abby said that our Daddy was her Daddy too.

When we came back to Mommy, we would have a tea party and tell Blondie and Barney all about our weekend with Daddy.

Sometimes when we came back from Daddy's house, Mommy would have a guest. Sometimes it was Uncle Robert, or Uncle Jack, or someone else. We didn't know we had so many uncles, and we never seemed to see them more than once. Sometimes an uncle would be nice to us, and give us treats or toys, and read us stories. Other times an uncle would be gruff and snap at us, and want us to go away. There never were any uncles or aunts at Daddy's house, just Miss Emily and Abby.

Mrs. Rabinowitz was a nice lady that came to visit Susan and me sometimes. Grandma Gail would come with her. She said she was from Child Services, and she spent some of her time looking around the apartment, and in the kitchen and refrigerator. Sometimes she would sit with Susan and me, and we would have a tea party. She asked us questions about where we went to school and daycare while Mommy was at work. She wanted to know what we ate for supper. She asked about Mommy's guests. She was especially interested in any uncles that were mean to us or to Mommy.

Grandma Gail came to Daddy's house one Sunday to pick us up. She said we were going to come live with her. Mommy was sick and in the hospital. When we got there, we found Grandma Gail had already been to the apartment, and brought our beds and all of our toys and dolls to her house. Blondie and Barney were sitting on a shelf, making sure everything was okay. Grandma Gail said before supper time, we could have a tea party.

---

Blondie looked around the room in their new home. This room looked familiar. She was sure she had lived here before, back when she belonged to a little blond haired girl named Gail. Little Gail would have tea parties with Blondie and her dolls.

---

Grandma Gail took us to a big store in town, and we got new dresses and shoes. The next day, Grandma Gail took us to church. We only went to church when we stayed with Daddy and Miss Emily. When we stayed with Mommy, we had to be quiet on Sunday mornings because Mommy wanted to sleep late, especially if she had a guest sleeping over. So Susan and I would fix our own breakfast, and then play quietly in our room with our dolls. We didn't watch TV.

---

I still remember the day Grandma Gail said we had to go to church to say goodbye to our mother. We didn't understand why Mommy was going somewhere without us, and when would she be back? Daddy was there too, with Miss Emily and Abby. Why was everyone crying? Grandma Gail took Susan and me by the hand, and led us to the front of the church, where there was a big wooden box. There were a lot of beautiful flowers around the box. If I stood up on my tiptoes, I could see Mommy lying in the box, sleeping. Why didn't she wake up and go home with us? Why did we have to say goodbye?

Grandma Gail took us in her car, and we drove to a park near the church. Everyone from the church was there as well. Before we left, Daddy came and gave us a hug and told us to be good for Grandma Gail, and he would come pick us up on Friday as usual.

We went back to Grandma's house, and Susan and I had a tea party with Blondie and our dolls.

---

Frank Crawford, 28 years old

"Mr. Crawford? I'm Detective Henry Green, and this is my partner, Detective Robert Williams. We'd like to ask you a few questions about your late ex-wife, Mary Crawford."

"This is Martha Wilson, a police department stenographer. She will be taking notes and recording our conversation. For the record, will you state your name and occupation?"

"I'm Franklin David Crawford, everyone calls me Frank. I'm a carpenter with Crawford and Davidson Building Contractors, a company I co-own with my partner Roger Davidson. I'll be glad to answer any questions you have, to my ability. Mary and I have been divorced for almost four years."

"Could you tell us about the divorce settlement, and how Mary was supporting herself and her two children?"

"Sure. It's all on record down at the courthouse, anyway.

When we divorced, we split everything 50-50, though there wasn't much to split. We had no money in the bank, no investments, and no retirement funds. I'm a carpenter, working on home construction projects, with no benefits. I get paid in cash every week, and I have to pay for my own health insurance. She kept her car, a ten year old minivan, and I kept my work truck. They were both paid for. We sold the house for about ten thousand more than we owed on it. I kept the girls on my health insurance, and paid Mary one thousand a month for child support. I gave her my share of the house and I agreed to pay all the legal fees, in lieu of alimony. She was good with that."

"After I moved out, she had to get a job to support herself and the girls. They couldn't live on just child support. I understand she got on as a cashier at a convenience store. I know her mom, Gail Thompson, helps them out when she can. Gail is a social worker at the hospital, and she makes pretty good money. Her husband, Mary's step-father, died ten years ago and left Gail a pretty good insurance settlement. Gail had inherited her parent's house when they passed."

"Mr. Crawford, can you tell me why you and your ex-wife were divorced? Was she cheating on you?"

"To my knowledge, Mary never cheated on me. Mary gave me her virginity while we were in high school, after our senior prom. She told me she has never been with another man, and I believe her. I was having an affair with a married woman, Emily Masters.

Emily was the secretary for the general contractor that I was working for, and I was in and out of the office a couple of times a week. She was always friendly and flirting with me. I came in one day at lunch time, and asked her if she would have lunch with me. After lunch, we finished the afternoon at the Royal Arms motel. Our affair went on for about three months, then Emily told me she was pregnant. I thought we were being careful, but I guess accidents happen.

Emily's husband had been working in the Alaskan oil fields for ten months, so I had to be the father. I told Mary, and we agreed on the divorce so I could move in with Emily. It wasn't so much an agreement. There was a lot of shouting and a lot of crying. Mary eventually accepted that we would divorce. She was quite upset that I had cheated on her. I guess upset is an understatement. She cried for days, and had to be hospitalized with a nervous breakdown. Gail paid for her to be in therapy after that.

Emily also filed for a divorce. George Masters did not fight the divorce, since he was living with a Native American woman in Alaska at the time. And she was also pregnant.

Both divorces were final before Abby was born. I've been living with Emily and Abby ever since. My partner and I have become general contractors, and we are building houses in some exclusive areas, so we are doing pretty good. I can afford to support Emily and Abby, and pay child support to Mary.

Mary and the girls lived with Gail until Mary found a job and rented her own apartment last year. Emily and I are not married yet, by mutual agreement. We have to work out some trust issues, since we both cheated on our spouses before. We have discussed whether we may have another child next year."

---

Rachel Rabinowitz, Caseworker for CPS

Sheila Gordon, the receptionist at the Department of Child Protective Services escorted the two men down the hall to Rachel's office. While most caseworkers there worked in cubicles, Rachel Rabinowitz, the supervising caseworker, rated her own office.

The men had introduced themselves as Detective Green and Detective Williams. Green, obviously in charge, had on a rumpled brown suit and a garish tie that he probably got from his kids for Father's Day. Everything about him screamed cop. Although he was similarly attired, Williams did look like he might own more than one suit, and knew where the dry cleaners was.

"Mrs. Rabinowitz? I'm Detective Henry Green, and this is my partner, Detective Robert Williams. We'd like to ask you a few questions about a case you have regarding Mary Crawford."

"If you don't mind, we will be recording our conversation. For the record, will you state your name and occupation?"

"I am Rachel Rabinowitz. I am a senior caseworker for the Department of Child Protective Services."

"Thank you. I understand you have worked with Mary Crawford regarding the welfare of her children. Could you tell us how you came to be involved in her case?"

"Mrs. Crawford was admitted to County General Hospital, having a nervous disorder. The hospital social worker notified CPS after determining she had two minor children in her care. The children were being cared for by their grandmother, Gail Thompson. The case was referred to me, and I made a routine welfare visit to Mrs. Thompson. I visited with the children, twin girls, Sally and Susan, and determined they were healthy and well cared for by Mrs. Thompson."

"After she was released from the hospital, Mary returned to her mother's home with her children. She was also going to a therapist twice a week. Mary got a job last year as a part-time cashier in a local convenience store."

"A month after Mrs. Crawford found work, she moved herself and her children to an apartment, on Jefferson Street, near the bus station. It's not the best neighborhood, but Mrs. Crawford kept it clean, and the children were not allowed to play outside. It was all she could afford as she didn't make much money. When she wasn't home the children were in the care of their grandmother, or in a daycare. I believe the grandmother paid for the daycare."

"I don't know much about Mrs. Crawford's social activities, but the girls did mention to me their mother would sometimes have 'guests' stay overnight, male guests. She never had the same guest more than one night. I never saw any signs of abuse of the children by Mrs. Crawford's guests."

"After Mrs. Crawford's death, CPS recommended to the family court that custody should go to the maternal grandmother, Mrs. Thompson, and joint custody rights of the father, Frank Crawford, should remain unchanged."

"Thank you, Mrs. Rabinowitz. You have been most helpful." Sheila escorted Mrs. Rabinowitz out of the office.

---

Jamal Jefferson

"Mr. Jefferson? I'm Detective Henry Green, and this is my partner, Detective Robert Williams. We'd like to ask you a few questions about Mary Crawford."

"This is Martha Wilson, a police department stenographer. She will be taking notes and recording our conversation. For the record, will you state your name and occupation?"

"I'm Jamal Jefferson. I am presently unemployed, but I do pick up a few side jobs, here and there, you know what I mean?"

"Mr. Jefferson, you are not under arrest, we would like to get some information about the circumstances of Mary Crawford's death. If at any time you feel it would be necessary, you can request an attorney and we will stop all questioning. Do you understand your rights?"

"Yeah, I understand."

"Will you describe for us how you knew Mary Crawford?"

"Well, I used to come into the Kwikee-Mart to buy cigarettes and beer, you know. It's close to my place, and I'd meet up with some of my boys there. We'd stand around outside and smoke and drink a beer or two, you know. There was this fine looking lady started working there one day. I noticed her right off, she was a foxy lady, and always smiled at me when I was checking out. And I was checking her out, let me tell you."

"Well, she had been working there about two weeks when my man Howard, he calls himself Mohammed now but we know who he really is. Howard says if you slip her a twenty, she'll take you into the stockroom in the back and blow your mind, you know what I mean? He said the bitch is trying to support her kids, but she don't make enough money working at the Kwikee-Mart."

"So, I thought, what the hell? I got twenty, I'll try her on. See if she can handle my nine inches of big black cock. So I finish my beer, and walk back into the store. There's no other customers in there, just one other clerk restocking the cigarette shelf behind the counter. She says, 'May I help you?', and I said I certainly hope so, and I slipped the twenty across the counter. She looked at me suspiciously, and I guess she decided I wasn't a cop. She says 'Julie, watch the front,' stuffs my twenty into her bra and heads into the stock room in the back."

"As soon as we were in the back room, she turns and closes the door. I'm just standing there and she kneels down in front of me, opens my zipper and takes out my cock. Her left hand is holding my butt, and her right hand is holding my cock. She starts licking and sucking on my pole, and she is fantastic. I've never had a blowjob like that. As I was about to reach the end of my rope, I warned her I was about to come. Most white bitches won't swallow, but she gulped it right down, and kept sucking until I was all clean. Damn, best twenty dollars I ever spent."

"So, you're telling us you had one blowjob. That was it?"

"Oh hell no, man. Something that good, I wasn't going to let that go. I went back every time I could spare twenty dollars. She'd never disappoint. She was just as good every time. I guess she wasn't making enough doing twenty dollar blowjobs, because a month later she told me for a c-note she would give me some pussy. Well, I wasn't going to pass that up. If her pussy was as sweet as her mouth, I was in love."

"It took me a week to come up with a hundred dollars. I slid it across the counter, she stuffed it into her booby bank, and led me into the back room. She sucked on my cock to get it hard, rolled a condom on it, then turned, dropped her jeans and panties, and bent over a stack of beer cases. She was so wet, I'm sure I wasn't her first today, but I wasn't complaining. I plunged deep into her pussy and held on to her hips. She took me for a ride, I'm telling you. Most whores just lay there, and say are you done yet? Not this bitch, she was really getting into the moment. I blew my load, she took the full condom off my cock, and threw it into a garbage can. Then she sucked my cock again until it was clean"

"Two sessions later, she raised her offer. For two hundred dollars, we could go to the motel up the street, and spend the afternoon. She said I could have her ass if I wanted. Well, it took me two weeks to come up with the extra money. I was working my ass off, and cutting back on cigarettes and beer. It took me a month each time to raise the money, but I managed two more sessions with her at the Royal Arms motel. She already had a room, and I got to spend two hours with her. I assumed she had another appointment after I left. For two hours, I got to do anything I wanted. I got to fuck her ass, and anything else, anyway else. When I couldn't get it up again, we took a shower together, and I left."

"After the last time with her, I went to the Kwikee-Mart the next day to buy cigarettes, and I heard she was dead. I swear she was okay when I left."

"Mr. Jefferson, do you recognize the man in this picture?" Detective Green held up a glossy 8x10 photograph of a man, obviously taken from a security camera. The camera was over his head and pointed down. He appeared to be Hispanic or Caucasian, stocky build, shaggy dark hair with a bushy mustache. He was wearing what appeared to be a tailored suit, probably expensive. He was wearing custom western boots, probably a unique pattern. On his neck, just under his left ear was a tattoo of a spider, possibly a black widow.

"Yeah man, I've seen him around, you know? He's a bad dude, supplies drugs to the dealers in the hood. Mostly dealers that are selling to the kids around the school. Word on the street is he'll kill you for looking at him wrong. I see him, I go the other way, feel me?"

"He got a name?"